Representative Gwen Garcia of Cebu's third district in an ANC interview with Karen Davila aired Monday (August 6) pushed the passage of her bill filed as House Bill 313 that calls for hybrid elections in May 2019.

It calls for manual voting and counting at the precinct level and digital transmission of the results.

The bill seeks to modify the present system, which technically is already hybrid. Instead of the manual voting and digital counting used in the past three elections (2010, 2013 and 2016), it seeks to require the counting at the precincts to be manual. New technology will be used only in transmitting and collating results in town halls and the provincial Capitol.

It's viable, simpler and cheaper and, more importantly, said Garcia who is one of the House deputy speakers, it is acceptable to the competing candidates as their watchers observe the count up close.

The bill is pending before a House committee but there's no guarantee it will become a law in time for the midterm polls next year.

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Junjun's father

When presented by Davila with a quote supposedly from Governor Hilario Davide III that he wouldn't exploit the complaints filed against Gwen before the ombudsman and instead would rely on his own merit in the campaign for reelection (or something to that effect), Gwen said she knew that it was Governor Junjun's dad, the former Supreme Court chief justice, who took active interest in the progress of the said cases.

Gwen said Davide Jr. was a friend of the former ombudsman who was an associate SC justice before her appointment to the anti-graft prosecutors office and, just recently, her retirement.

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Gwen cites 'slide' in ranking

The three-term governor (2004, 2007, 2010, 2013) cited the nose-dive of Cebu Province in the competitive ranking of local governments under the National Competitive Council of the Philippines since Davide took over. From No. 1, when she was governor, it plummeted to the cellar or near bottom under Junjun. (There may be a need to recheck he claim since in June 2015, Cebu Province was reportedly ranked as one of the top three most competitive provinces in the country.)

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'Rollercoaster ride'

In an April 10, 2014 interview, Gwen compared politics as a "rollercoaster ride" with "a lot of betrayals."

Asked about her being single, she said one doesn't have to stay married to be "whole or complete." But she wasn't saying "panapos," she said, she could still have a partner "if the person is worth it."

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Mocha's defense

About the video that has gone viral for its reference to body sexual parts ("pepe" for genitals and "dede' for the breasts) in promoting federalism, PCOO's Mocha Uson explained that:

* the video was taped before it was announced she'd be tapped for the information campaign on federalism; and

* she is not the spokesperson or "the face" of the said campaign.

PCOO chief Martin Andanar, who also distanced Uson from the campaign, said his office had not assigned her to the job.

Federalism might be associated now with the sex organ and the boobs, an unpleasant image of a new system of government.